Electric switch



Unirse STATES PATENT FFICEy? ARTHUR M. CONDIT, 0F EAST ORANGE, NEWJERSEY. v 1

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

` Speciication of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 10, 1919. Serial No. 336,945.v c

To all whom t may concern.'

vlength of time according to the desires of the user, andv withoutrequiring attention for the time being on the part of the user.

Another object is to provide an electric switch which is veryserviceable for use in signaling devices employed on automobiles forgiving a desired signal to a following vehicle, such switch beinglocated on the steering post or steering post column and Y henceunderthe control of the operator in time.

charge of the automobile to enable the operator to temporarily display asignal or to keep it displayed for a desired length of Another obj ectVis to permitof conveniently attaching the electric switch to a desiredsupport.

With these and vother objects in View, the

' invention consists of certain novel features of construction,v as,hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out intheclaims. A practical embodiment of the invention is represented intheaccompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews. y

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved electric switch as applied tothe steering column of an automobile; j

Fig. 2 is an edge View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the same with the column shown in section;

' Fig'. 4 is al sectional side elevation Vof the improved electricswitch on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; *Fig 5 is a similar view of the samewith the switch lever pressed to temporarily close the electric circuit;and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the switch lever.'V i

The casing or frame 10 of 'the electric switch ,is made of a suitablematerial and is held in a U-shaped shell 11 adapted to be fastenedbybands12 to the columnA 13 of the steering post of anautomobileto S1115:

port the electric switch within convenient reach of the operatoryin-chargc of'jthe automobile. In the casing or frame 10V are fse. curedcontacts 15 and 16, preferably of the Patented 22,

spring type, and of'which thejcontact 15'is the fixed one and theothercontact 16 is the movable one and is normallyvout'of engage'- mentwith the fixed contactl'. The con-v tacts l5 and 16 v'are connectedinthe usual manner with binding posts 17,18 arranged c on one Aside ofthe casing or frame 10 and'to which the circuit wires 19 and 20'laresecured. The contact 16 isfprovded'jwith a" spring tongue 25 adapted toengage the fixed contact `15I on pressing the Contact `16""in-V wardly,as indicated in Fig. 5, and indotted linesinFig.4. Y

The movable contact `16- is controlled by a switch lever30 comprisingtwo members 31 and 32, or" which the member 31 is the carrying memberand is ulcrumedat 33 on v the casing or trame 10.y -rEhe otherfmember 32is a switch closing memberand is 'fulcrunied at 34 on the carryingmember31 near the free end thereof;` 'The switch lever 30 extends within theopen right-hand side side of the casing 'or frame 10, and the back ofthe closing member 32 is normally ,pressed on by the free end of thespringcont'actl 16 to hold thek closing member 32 folded upon thecarrying member 31, as plainly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The lower end 35of the carrying member 31 normally rests against a shoulder 36 formed onthe bottom of the casing or frame 10 to limit the outward swing#V ingmovement of the' switch lever: 30. The carrying member 31 is preferablymade U- s'haped in cross section, and the closing member 32 is normallyVfolded therein, but the back of the carrying member 31 vis cut out ardistance below the ulcrum 34 to allow Aof vswinging the closing member32 into a right-angled position relative to ,the carrying member 3l, asshown inFig. Gand indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 4. It will be tact15, and the free'end of the'contact 16 now abuts against the inner endof the closing member 32 to hold the latter in this angular position.Byv referencev to Fig. 4

it will benoticed that when the closing-member32 is in angular'positionto the back it sov rests on the upper edge ofthe back ofthe carryingmember 31 thus limiting the swinglng movement of theV closing member32.Y

The shellll is provided at the sides with cut-outy portions 40 to permitthe user-of the switch to readily press the switch lever 30 inward intothe temporary circuit closing position shown' in Fig. 5. y Normally theparts Vare in the'position shown in Fig. l with the contacts 15 and 16in open position. Now when the operator desires tov close the electriccircuit temporarily then the operator presses on the switch lever 30toswing the; same inward into the positionshown in Fig. 5 whereby theupper end of the closing member 30 of the switch lever imparts an inwardmovement tothe contact 16 to move the latter in engagement with thecontact 15 and thus close the circuit.V As soon as the operator releasesthe pressure on the switch lever 30 the spring contact 16 returns theswitch lever 30 to the normal position shown in F ig. 4, atvthe sametime moving out of engagement with the contact15 thus breakingV thecircuit. releasing the switch lever 30 the circuit is but temporarilyclosed 'and again opened to momentarily display a signal to a followingvehicle. lVhenfit is desired to display the signal, for say severalminutes or Vother period of time then the operator takes hold of thelower projecting endof the closing memberf32-of the switch lever 30 andswings the said closing member 32 into angular position, shown in Fig. 6and in dotted lines in Fig. l. It will be noticed that when the closingmember 32 moves into this angular positionthe contact 16 is moved inengage ment with the contact 15 to close the circuit, and as thepressure of the Contact 16 is now exerted endwise against the closingmember 32 the latter is held in an angular position with. the contacts15 and 16 closed. It will be noticed that as soon as the operator hasswung the closing member 32 of the switch lever 30 into angularposition, as shown and described, he can release the closing memberwhich lnow stays in closed position by the pressure ofthe spring contact16. W hen it is desired to open the circuit, the operator simply swingsthe closing member 32 into folded position on the carrying member'l Vtoallow the spring contact 16 toreturn to open position and thus break thecircuit.

, It ywill be noticed that when the closing member 32 of the switchlever 30 is in the Thus on alternately pressing andV as the .latter maybe applied toV other electrical devices.

Having thus described my invention,Y l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. in electric switch, comprising contacts normallyopen and a switch lever having two members movable one relative to theother, the said lever members in one position being folded and inanother position being at an angle one to the other, one of the levermembers being engaged by one of the said contacts, to move the contactstemporarily into closed position on pressing and releasing the leverwith the members thereof in folded position, and to move the contactsinto closed position for a desiredlength of time on moving the levermembers into the said angular position.

2. An electric switch, comprising contacts normally open and a switchlever having two members, of which one isfthe carrying member and ispivotedon a fixed support, v

and the other is the switch closing member and is pivotedon the saidcarrying ymember to move bodily with the same forclosing and opening.the contacts on alternately pressing and releasing the switch lever, the

said switch closing' member being adapted to be actuated independent ofthe carrying member to close 'the contacts and holdthe same closed Vonmoving the switchclosing member into angular position relative to thesaid carrying member and releasing the said closing member.

3. An electric switch,.comprisinga sup port, spring contacts mounted inthe said support and normally open, and a switchA member fulcrumed onthe said carrying member, the said closing member being pressed on atone end by one Y. of thev said spring contacts, the other end ofthe saidf closing member projecting beyond the fulcrum end of the saidcarrymg'member to into an angular position relative to the car-k ryingmember.v Y I ll. An electric switch, comprising a support, springcontacts mounted inwthe said support and normally open, and a switchlever having a carryingmember fulcrumed on the said support and having aclosing member fulcrumed, on the said carrying member, the said closing'member being pressed onV at one end by Yone of the said springcontacts, the said carrying member and the said closing member normallyoverlying one the other, the heel of the carrying member resting on thesaid support tolimit the outward swinging movement of the switch lever.

5. fin electric switch, comprising spring contacts normally open, and aswitch lever allow of swinging the saidclosing memberl iso having apivoted carrying member and a sition thereto, the said closing memberwhen closing member pivoted near the free end in folded position beingpressed on at the of the said carrying member and normally back by oneof the said spring contacts', and Q10 folded thereon to bodily move Withthe carthe said closing member When in angular rying member, the saidclosing member beposition being pressed on at the end by the ing adaptedto be moved independent of the said spring contact. p carrying member toassume an angular po- ARTHUR M; CONDIT.

